PA, teachers' union reach agreement to end strike

Feb. 18, 2016 9:19 P.M. (Updated: Feb. 19, 2016 4:11 P.M.)

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Teachers’ Union in the occupied West Bank on Thursday reached an agreement ending weeks of strikes demanding the guarantee of teachers' rights.

In a meeting between Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, union representative Ahmad Sahwil, and Education Minister Sabri Saydam, the PA and the union agreed on a five-point plan for paying money owed to teachers before the end of 2016.

Government spokesman Yousif Mahmoud told Ma'an that the meeting resolved the ongoing crisis between the two bodies, ending the teachers’ strike.

PA security forces on Wednesday detained 22 Palestinian teachers who had taken part in the strike, including two principles.

The overnight detentions came after an estimated 20,000 Palestinian teachers demonstrated in Ramallah on Tuesday to call for the implementation of an 2013 agreement guaranteeing teachers' rights.

Most schools in the occupied West Bank shut down completely in protest, while other establishments closed before noon, as teachers gathered in front of the PA cabinet headquarters to demonstrate.